Awesome Potential

Through the years wrestling has had a tough time with a number of our favorite stars leaving us way to early and leaving us to question what if. One of the things I have really tried to with this site is to tell the story of the past and part of the past is looking at those who had potential but for whatever reason didn't reach it. This is not a series but more an occurrence that will happen when the opportunity presents it. The focus of this is Mike Alfonso who made a name for himself as The Gladiator and Mike Awesome during his in ring career. Though Mike fit in quite well during the 1990's due to the size he posed and how well he fit in with other big competitors from the era. One main difference between Awesome and other big men from the era is that he actually was athletic in the ring and could fly unlike any other talent from the day. 

---

Mike's career would start to take off when he made his way to Japan while working for All-Japan Pro-Wrestling and Frontier Marital-Arts Wrestling. It was overseas that Mike would begin his career long feud with Masato Tanaka which is one that would actually make its way over to the US specifically ECW. Heyman would be the first American promoter to really give Mike a shot by giving him a push right out of the gate to allow to lead the company. Awesome would however not stick around as a full time competitor and until his third stint with ECW when Mike won the ECW World Title in a three way dance against Taz & Masato Tanaka. However, around the time that Mike was given the ball ECW was starting to have financial distress and would move onto WCW where they gave him a chance. 

​At first Mike was given a massive push as the "Career Killer" but then bad booking got the better of the potential ridden Awesome. Mike would lose his way after the WCW went away and never really did anything of note in the WWE which is surprising, but I guess timing wasn't the best. Overall Mike was a tremendous talent and someone that really fit well with a manager due to his lack of charisma and just being someone who would kick ass over cutting a good promo. Either way though Mike had no pun intended Awesome Potential that was halted by outside circumstances that plague the business at the time.